By Becky Boyd
Your business is only as good as those who stand behind it. Employees need to be recognized for good work. Basically, we all do! Who doesn't like to get a pat on the back or an Atta Boy (Girl)! every now and then? It makes us feel good about ourselves and our job. We want to come to work every morning with a great attitude.
Having an outstanding work culture creates a great work environment where employees are positive and work for the common good of bettering the company and its mission. Here's how you can create a great work culture:
First and foremost: Identify the culture. Is it a family operation? Is it formal or informal? Is it straight-laced or more laid back? IBM and HP are both in the computer business, but they have different cultures. IBM has a more formal and stoic culture, while HP has a more casual environment.
Second: Communicate the culture. Once a business identifies what culture it wants for its employees, it needs to develop ways to communicate that to its employees. Initially, a business can draft a mission statement or company philosophy that summarizes what the owner or leadership expects of the employees. But the culture of a business is more than a mission statement. It is also communicated through the design of the work areas. Are employees in offices with doors or are they in cubicles? More traditional desks or modular workstations? Are employees encouraged to communicate in person or via e-mail or instant messaging? Companies have opportunities to communicate the culture in an ongoing way as well. Are there regularly scheduled team meetings to share company news or to obtain feedback from employees? This communicates that the company is open about what's going on and values its employees' opinions on how things are going and how they can improve.
Third: Once the culture is decided upon, it needs to be demonstrated. Management needs to "walk the walk" and "talk the talk". Below are some ways that the culture can be demonstrated:
Offer an outstanding rewards program that gives employees a better sense of value, growth, and commitment. Awards can be given for:
Years of service - Celebrate milestones in an employees' career, such as 5 years of service on up. As the milestones are reached, employees receive better and better awards, appropriate to the milestone.
Outstanding performance - Reward employees for results that make a difference to the company.
Great customer service - Involve customers in this one and let them nominate their client services rep.
Provide details about rewards to all parties involved - from the management team to front-line employees. Make sure that everyone understands what is required to win this award, how to win the award, and what he or she will receive if they win it.
Peer-to-peer recognition is a great strategy for inspiring everyone in the company to notice exceptional effort every day.
Coach and train management to recognize excellence in everyone and that this recognition is an integral, powerful part of the work culture, not just a program.
One way to build a successful team is to create a fun working environment and promote employee interaction. Hold a themed, internal team-building workshop routinely. It can be as simple as baking a cake together in the employee lunchroom to playing dodge ball in a local park. Whatever the event, the idea is for employees to interact and communicate.
To create an outstanding work culture through award management, contact FormoPro at info@formopro.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Becky_Boyd
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Create-an-Outstanding-Work-Culture&id=7119166
